In these past Olympics, Lithuania came in fourth. Just behind Argentina, Spain and the United States.

That's no surprise. The Lithuanian team is always in the hunt.

It's worth noting the sizes of these nations, however.

• The United States is the planet's third most populous nation, with about 305 million people.
• Spain is 27th most populated, with about 46 million people.
• Argentina is not far behind, 31st with 40 million.
• Lithuania has a little more than three million people, ranking 130th.

You go, Lithuania!

On Rockets.com, Jason Friedman recently hashed this out with new Houston international scout Arturas Karnisovas. He was long a top Lithuanian player -- even got to lose to the Dream Team in Barcelona in 1992 -- with some theories about Lithuania's dominance.

People say that we basically took from [Dr. James] Naismith the book and adopted it to our culture and made it our religion. Even if you go back to 1937 and 1939 Lithuania was European champions. So it's the dominant sport by far in Lithuania and we call it our religion. We have student leagues that have twenty thousand participants, we have politicians' leagues where our prime minister is playing, so basketball is part of our life and culture.

And actually this year has been very successful year for our country because if you look at international competition our Under-20s team made it to the finals, Under-18s made it to the finals and our Under-16s won the championship in Europe so basketball is deep in our genes.

... my shortest friend is possibly 6' 3". I think a funny story is when I brought my agent, when I was playing professionally, to Lithuania and he was telling me, "I've never felt shorter in my life!"

Redemption. It is so sweet. It means all the world in 2008.

But does it mean that the United States is once again established as clearly the best basketball team in the world?

Not so fast. If we learned anything in that thriller of a gold medal game, it's that the competition is excellent, and no team will waltz to any titles. Proving you're the best, in a global basketball environment, means proving you're the best again and again.

Ironically underscoring that point is the reality that after this summer's stellar performance the U.S. has dropped to second in FIBA's bizarre world rankings, which account for several years' performance.

So, when you look ahead, what can you see? What does the team look like down the road? What have we learned?

2010, not 2012
It amazes even those who are involved in Team USA itself. American fans, for some reason or another, refuse to believe that anything other than the Olympics could be the pinnacle of international basketball. But the people who work in international basketball, and fans in most of the world ... they prefer FIBA's World Championships. You know how in soccer the World Cup is head and shoulders above the Olympic title? It's almost like that in basketball.

The world championships has a larger number of teams and a much longer single-elimination portion of the tournament. It's a tougher tournament to win. So when you're looking down the road at the future of Team USA, don't look all the way to London in 2012. Look first at 2010 in Turkey. Even if it does not yet mean more to you, then at least consider this: If Team USA can win in 2010, they get a free pass to London in 2012. And that would mean training camp and exhibition games in the summer of 2011, instead of must-win qualifying games. Aging superstars, worried about their NBA careers, like light summer schedules.

Permanent Team
It's a whole new way of thinking. In the U.S.A., we talk about our national teams by year, as if each is a distinctive entity. 1992 was the Dream Team, 2002 team was the Paul Pierce debacle, 2008 was Redemption.

But did you hear Team USA's braintrust -- executive Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski -- after winning gold? They were in lockstep that the key to victory was not just stellar players, but stellar players who had been playing together for some time.

Indeed, a roster much like this one lost to Greece at the 2006 World Championships.

Think about it, though. That means that this summer was the time to start having the 2010 players playing together. And 2010 would be good time to start working out the 2012 squad. And so and and so on, until it's clearly time to stop thinking of the national team as an annual event. It's a permanent thing. It's the kind of institution that probably ought to actually have a building (beyond, I guess, the Wynn in Las Vegas), and the team has announced that they will have just that in the near future.

Top NBA players all play basketball somewhere in the summers. The idea that Jerry Colangelo has wisely gotten across is that if you're one of the players in his sights, you ought to come to his place and learn to play with those other top players who will have the privilege of representing the nation.

Sure, the roster will be a little different each time around. But changes should be tweaks, not earth-shattering imports of whoever happens to be hot at the moment.

The second trick -- and Colangelo is on the ball here, too -- is to have a much bigger pool of players training than competing every summer. If you have thirty players mastering the art of playing together in training camp, then the injuries, weddings, births, and national team retirements that could draw a player or two away unexpectedly are easier to deal with.

Along those lines, on USA Basketball's website, the current national team roster is Carmelo Anthony, Gilbert Arenas, Shane Battier, Chauncey Billups, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Bruce Bowen, Elton Brand, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Kirk Hinrich, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Brad Miller, Mike Miller, Adam Morrison, Greg Oden, Lamar Odom, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, J.J. Redick, Luke Ridnour, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams.

Now, of course they only got to take a dozen of those guys to Beijing, but I like the idea that all these players are still part of the team. But if you're wondering who might be on Team USA in the future, that list is a good inspiration, as those players have all been through some or all of the training.

Another list to look at is the team of young players who were invited to scrimmage against Team USA in Las Vegas this summer. That team included LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Luther Head, Al Horford, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Kevin Martin, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, and Rodney Stuckey.

Big-Time Commitment from a Coach
At times, in recent years, I have thought it might make sense to hire a top coach to just coach Team USA. That coach could spend his long offseason getting to know his roster, and the competition, better. He could also put some time into spreading the gospel of national team basketball to fans, corporate sponsors, and players. Make the team stand for something.

And then, when the players come available in the summer, that coach would be more than ready to hit the ground running. The players may arrive with flagging energy levels after 100 NBA games. But the coach would be fresh as a daisy, ready supply the wholesale enthusiasm that is required to win single elimination tournaments.

A good NBA coach, on the other hand -- one that sees action in the playoffs -- is ready for a month of naps by the end of June.

I suspect that's part of the reason a college coach was chosen this time around. If a full-time national team coach is too expensive a proposition, a college coach is a nice compromise. Not only do they have longer offseasons, but they also have that rah-rah high-energy approach that you need in a shorter contest.

"I would love to see Tubby Smith, Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams or Billy Donovan," says ESPN's David Thorpe. "Did you see what Team USA did when they won the gold? They circled up and jumped up and down. I didn't see the Celtics do that when they won the title. But you see college teams do that. It's just a different emotion. In college, and on the national team, you play for a short time together, and keep the energy level high. In the NBA, you play 100 games and wear people down. It's a different meter."

Dreaming about Rosters
So, with all that in mind, who can you expect to have on this team in 2010?

We learned two important, and interlocking, things this summer.

• Some of Team USA's youngest players are keepers. Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, and Dwight Howard were all excellent, and all have something to prove. When I think of any team, I think first of point guards and big men, and this roster is blessed with two of each who can more than get the job done. To me figuring out the next four years of this roster is really a question of finding the wings to run alongside these four.
• The United States has a big advantage over the rest of the world: Big, strong, long, multitalented wing players. LeBron James is the poster child, but Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are right there. Carmelo Anthony has played that role. Other national teams will have to think long and hard about how they are going to get more size and athleticism from their wings. It's always good, as a team, when you have your opponents adjusting to what you're doing. So, by all means bring back James, Wade, and Bryant if you can. If any of them are not available, I'd start inviting from a list that includes Kevin Durant, Kevin Martin, Brandon Roy, Shane Battier, and Rodney Stuckey.

Wild card: As we talk about the summer of 2010, don't forget that it's the summer of 2010. As in, the free agency period we have been anticipating forever. At the moment, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James and many other top players are scheduled to be free agents that summer. Any of them that does not have a new contract squared away in early July would have a hard time committing to the national team. No way you'd risk getting injured while the biggest contract of your life is in play.

So, without further ado, here are the returning players I'd want to see on Team USA in 2010 and 2012:

• Chris Paul: Runner-up for the NBA's MVP award. Good place to start.
  
• Deron Williams: Big, strong guard who can shoot, defend, and win.
• LeBron James: No one has any idea how to stop this man.
• Dwyane Wade: The revelation of 2008 faces a history of injuries, and free agency in 2010. But if he wants to play, he's welcome on my team.
• Kobe Bryant: He's not getting any younger, and he still looks awkward trying to be selfless. But there's no arguing his talent is supreme.
• Chris Bosh: The U.S. lost nothing on defense when he was on the floor, and he's very efficient with the dunks and layups that result from all the attention paid to James and Wade.
• Dwight Howard: One of the biggest and strongest players in the tournament was also one of the most nimble.

Then I'd add in some players who could help on a long, athletic, multi-talented squad:

• Kevin Durant: The very definition of a long multi-talented athlete, and he'll be much better by 2010.
• Brandon Roy: If this young All-Star can stay healthy, he can be another powerful multi-skilled wing, and also the third point guard you'd need if someone gets hurt.
• Kevin Martin: Remember Michael Redd? Our zone buster? He didn't play much because his defense was low energy. Martin is one of the most efficient shooters in NBA history, and he has the speed and length to thrive in high-energy defense.
• Al Horford: A rapidly developing young big man who is a leader, a finisher, and a fine open-court athlete. About the only thing he lacks is an American passport. The Dominican has lived in the U.S. since he was a young child, and has expressed interest in doing the paperwork necessary to join Team USA.
• Shane Battier: He demonstrated during Houston's big winning streak that he is the best at stopping elite wing scorers. And he can hit the open shot, all while being a great veteran teammate.

So, that's my twelve.

But of course there is a good chance many won't be available. So waiting in the wings I'd have:

• Greg Oden: I would have stuck him on the main team, but for the one little snafu on his record: He has yet to prove he can play one game, let alone 100 or so NBA games. Signing him up for an extra summer season just seems mean, until he has been around a while.
• Carmelo Anthony: He has been a major part of this team for so long. And he has talked about missing his child. I'm guessing he might want some time off, which is why he's not the top twelve. But if he wants to play ...
• Tyson Chandler One of the best in the league at defending power forwards, he can also handle plenty of centers. On offense, if Chris Paul is there, it always seems like Chandler ought to be, too.
• Rodney Stuckey: In his first playoffs, the young Piston guard showed more than enough promise.
• Derrick Rose: I say give him a couple of years to get used the next level of the game, then sneak the "next" point guard onto the roster so he's ready to unleash his game on the world in 2012.
• Rudy Gay: He's showing all the signs of developing into the kinds of wing player that sets the U.S apart.

This arrived in my email box today. Somehow I doubt is what Michael Phelps had in mind when he booked this trip online:

Michael Phelps left the Beijing Olympics with a record eight gold medals adding to a career tally of 14 – so where is the golden athlete heading next?

The 23-year-old American swimmer is on route with some friends to a golfing vacation in Portugal's Algarve region. He will relax at Hotel Hilton Vilamoura As Cascatas Resort & Spa, and enjoy some of the best golf in the world, up to par for one of the world's best swimmers.

More than half of the golf courses in Portugal are within the Algarve Region on the southernmost tip of the country. Currently there are 30 courses, a number which will soon double with new courses underway.

Golf is a year 'round sport in Portugal, making the country a gathering place for golf aficionados and some of Europe's most interesting courses. Many of the courses in the country were designed by the best golf architects to capitalize on some breath-taking views and to fit with natural surroundings. They also come in a variety of difficulty levels.

The Algarve courses have gained an international reputations, helped along by the region's mild climate and varied geography. Players tee off surrounded by red cliffs or dramatic sea coasts, and there's a course to fit all levels. Resorts in the area, sport luxury clubhouses, manicured greens and flawless fairways, all are open to visitors.

For more information on golf in Portugal go to www.visitportugal.com